It came to town one cold, windy night, from the direction of the Everfree Forest - a strange, alien creature, the likes of which had never been seen in Ponyville before. It walked on its hind legs, and its paws, protruding from the sleeves of a long, tattered, weather-beaten coat, were uncannily, almost repulsively furless - just like most of its face; there was a good deal of fur on the back of its head, however - lank and mousey-coloured, with quite a few grey strands weaving through it like gossamer threads. The creature moved slowly, with its shoulders hunched and its head bowed, hugging itself in a feeble attempt to stay warm, while the piercing wind kept leaping at it with wild, playful force - just like a kitten leaps at a yarn, - tugging and tearing at the poor thing's threadbare cloak and stinging its bare, unprotected paws and face.
Just when the alien creature reached the edge of the Sweet Apple Acres orchard, it started raining. The poor wretch shivered all over and wrapped its coat tightly around itself; but, whatever pathetic protection this excuse for a garment offered, it clearly wasn't enough. The force of the rain increased by the minute, and very soon what had started out as an annoying, sticky little drizzle grew into a torrential downpour, which lashed mercilessly at the branches of the apple trees and made the fruit fall to the ground with thick, soft thuds. It had been a good season, and the apple trees were literally bending under the weight of their fruit; so, the pegasi ponies were asked to make a thunderstorm in order to help the trees relieve themselves of their burden and to ease the labours of the earth ponies (Applejack objected, of course, feeling that depriving her of an extra share of apple-bucking was unfair; but nopony would listen to her).
Slowly, wearily, the alien creature made its way through the orchard, looking for shelter. Finally, having soaked through to the bones and received a goodish deal of bruises from the falling apples, it reached a small clearing where a tall, gnarled tree stood, with a quaint little wooden house perched among its branches. The house's windows were brightly lit, and ripples of childish laughter could be heard coming from inside. The creature gave the little house a long gaze, forlorn and longing; then, taking a deep breath with the air of having made up its mind, it crept on tiptoe up the wooden planks that lead to the house like a gangway, and peered furtively into one of the pink-curtained windows. Through it, it saw three little pony fillies, sitting on the floor, passing each other teacups and slices of cake and chatting excitedly. And just as one of them was in the middle of saying, 'This storm gives me an awesome idea! What if we try to earn our Cutie Marks at the Cloudsdale weather factory? Sweetie Belle and I could ask Twilight Sparkle for that spell...', she happened to glance out of the window and catch the alien creature's eye. The unexpected guest withdrew hurriedly into the damp gloom outside, but the filly remained staring at the place where the creature's face had been, her mouth wide open, her expression a mixture of surprise and fear. After a few moments of tense, heavy silence, which the filly's anxious friends did not dare to break, she screwed up her eyes and let out a deafening shriek that must have worked better at shaking apples off the tree branches than any thunderstorm.
'APPLE BLOOM! What in blazes got into you? You yelled so loud, we could hear you all the way down at the farmhouse!' Applejack exclaimed as she came bursting into the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, closely followed by Big McIntosh, who concluded her vehement tirade with a meaningful 'Eeyup'.
'Apple Bloom says she saw a monster,' Sweetie Belle explained, giving her friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Applejack frowned. 'A monster, huh? Did you two see it as well?'.
'No,' Scootaloo replied, shaking her head, 'We sat with our backs to the window, see. But Apple Bloom looked out the window, and the monster looked right back! It was big and ugly, and with huge fiery eyes! Right, Apple Bloom?'. Apple Bloom gave a rather feeble nod, accompanied by a loud gulp. But no matter how shaken she looked, her elder sister did not seem overly keen to believe her.
'Pshaw!' she snorted, 'There ain't no monsters in Sweet Apple Acres! You must've seen a crooked tree branch or something'.
'Eeyup,' said Big McIntosh, nodding his head in full agreement.
'Excuse me,' said a quiet, slightly hoarse voice, coming from some unseen place in the outer murk beyond the clubhouse, 'But I beg to differ.'
Applejack started and whirled round on her heels; the Crusaders gasped in chorus, instinctively edging closer towards each other - and Big McIntosh moved the straw that he was chewing from one corner of his mouth to the other. A strange, shadowy figure stepped into the clubhouse, letting the light fall on its face; it truly was big, towering over the ponies almost like a giant, and ugly, by Equestrian standards at least - but its eyes were far from fiery; they were earnest and sad, with something apologetic about their expression, as if the alien creature felt that it did not belong in the place it had intruded, and was severely troubled by this.
'You... You can talk,' Apple Bloom said blankly, apparently not altogether sure why she had an urge to speak and feeling more than a bit awkward now that she had spoken.
The stranger smiled; his smile - it had to be a he, judging by the voice - was soft and just as sad as his eyes. 'For a moment I was surprised that you could talk,' he said, 'But my travels have taught me not to wonder at anything for a long time. The thing is...' he paused and shifted from one foot to the other, fingering the hems of his sleeves nervously, 'My journey here has been long and tiring, and I am looking for a place where I could... well, spend the night before moving on. And since this appears to farming country... maybe there is some... some cow shed or... or hay loft... which its owners won't mind sparing for a weary wanderer to rest his head in? I will only occupy it a few hours... and I swear you won't even know I'm there!'.
Applejack, who had been listening to the stranger's faltering pleas with rising impatience, blurted out, looking deeply offended, 'A cow shed or a hay loft? Well, mister, I don't know how they treat guests back in the parts you came from, but it sure ain't the way we do it in Ponyville! A cow shed or a hay loft my hoof! Why, you will be staying with my family at the farmhouse, and you will have a warm bed, and all the hot meals you can get - you sure look like you need 'em'.
The stranger gave a small, uncomfortable cough. 'That's so very generous of you, but I really hate to impose; after all, you barely know me...'
'Dontcha pull a Fluttershy on me!' Applejack cried out, her tone almost threatening, 'So what if we don't know you; it can easily be helped. I am Applejack; this here is my little sis Apple Bloom and her two friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle - and this is my brother, Big McIntosh. And you are?'
'Remus Lupin,' the stranger said, holding out his furless paw for each pony to shake in turn.
'There!' Applejack exclaimed triumphantly. 'Now we all know each other!'
'Eeyup,' said Big McIntosh.
Apple Bloom woke up before cock crow. She had dreamt that she had overslept school, and that Silverspoon and Diamond Tiara were plaguing her with taunts like 'Aww, maybe the vittle vun will get an alarm clock as her Cutie Mark!'. Panting, ruffle-maned, she opened her eyes, leapt up from her bed and darted out her bedroom. Her rapid progress down the corridor was suddenly hindered by a soft, squishy obstacle, which turned out to be the stomach of the farm's unusual guest.
'Good morning, little one,' Lupin said, looking down at Apple Bloom with that soft smile of his, 'It seems that I keep startling you'.
'It's okay,' the filly replied cheerfully, 'It was frightfully stupid of me to get so scared of you back at the clubhouse. Now I know you are not a monster!'.
Lupin suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing. 'Yes, of course,' he said at last, wiping his forehead, which had for no particular reason grown moist with perspiration. 'Thank you for the trust'.
'Hey you two! Why up so early?' Applejack had poked her head from behind a nearby door and was now regarding Apple Bloom and Lupin with rather bleary eyes.
'I was just about to leave without disturbing anyone in the house,' Lupin explained, his voice once again assuming the old apologetic intonation, 'I feel that I have outstayed my welcome'.
Applejack rolled up her eyes with an exasperated air, 'Oh, please! You haven't been here for four hours yet!'.
'Sis...' Apple Bloom piped in, 'Don't press him. Maybe he has to go. Maybe he's late for some meeting or something'.
Lupin shook his head, 'I wish that were the case. But I am not expected anywhere. Nor do I have a place to go to'.
'I see...' Applejack said slowly, 'Well then, how about...'
She was cut short in mid-sentence by a bright pink blur that burst into the farm house lightning speed with a shrill 'I-heard-from-Rarity-who-heard-from-Sweetie-Belle-that-there-is-a-weird-furless-creature-in-your-place-We-went-and-asked-Twilight-and-she-says-it's-called-a-human-I've-never-seen-a-human-before-oh-boy-I-am-so-excited-I've-never-been-so-EXCITED!'
'You are stuck here,' Apple Bloom whispered to Lupin, 'Now that Pinkie has got her hooves on you'.
'How curious,' said Rarity, peering at a dark, stick-like object Lupin held in his hand; she was trying hard both to see what it was and to avoid any contact with Lupin's torn, grimy clothes. 'You carry your horn in your pocket!'.
'Oh, it's not a horn,' Lupin replied, smiling, 'It's called a wand. But humans do use them to cast spells'.
He waved his wand in the air as a kind of small demonstration, making the cupcakes on the nearby table sprout arms and legs and break into a wild dance, to the ecstatic excitement of Pinkie Pie and the younger ponies.
'Can all humans do magic?' asked Sweetie Belle, having swallowed a mouthful of strawberry tart that she had been chewing.
'No,' Lupin answered, 'There are wizards and non-wizards among humans, just like there are unicorns and earth ponies'.
'Are there pegasi humans too?' Rainbow Dash inquired with an air of great interest, seizing a donut right from under Spike's nose and zooming on her wings up to the level of Lupin's shoulder before the little dragon could get at her; Spike sulked for a while, but then consoled himself by stalking the dancing cupcakes.
'Well, no human has wings. But there are ways of flying without them. Like broomsticks'. Lupin went into a long-winded account of broom-flying and a weird game called Quidditch, interrupted every now and then by Rainbow Dash's longing sighs - she was already picturing herself chasing after the Quaffle, dodging the Bludgers, and maybe even hunting for the golden Snitch - and Spike's persistent 'Come here, cakey, cakey, cakey!'.
It was late evening, a whole day having passed since Lupin's arrival at Ponyville, and the Welcome-Remus-Lupin party at Pinkie Pie's was at full swing. Pinkie had pulled it together at miraculously short notice, somehow managing to squeeze the preparations in between showering the extraordinary newcomer with questions, dragging him around Ponyville, accompanied by the silently grinning Apple family members, in order to demonstrate him to everypony like an exotic curio, and bouncing happily in the background during the Mayor's welcoming speech.
The mouth-watering cupcakes, tarts and caramel, the balloons bobbing merrily up and down beneath the ceiling, and Pinkie Pie's shrill, incessant singing seemed to have had a wonderful effect on Lupin's spirits. His awkwardly reserved manner gave way to cheerful friendliness, and there even were some who claimed that during the 'Pin the tail on a pony' game they had heard him laugh - in a proper, Pinkie Pie-approved way.
Despite Lupin's more than outlandish appearance, everypony took an instant liking to him. Everypony except one - and that was Twilight Sparkle. At first she, like all the rest, had been very eager to find out as much as possible about the newcomer, especially since she was the only pony in town that had at least some idea what a 'human' actually was. But as the party progressed, she gradually became more and more silent and stern, till she finally settled down in a corner, almost totally obscured from view by a whole wall of colourful balloons, from the gap between which she watched Lupin's every move, her face dark and sullen.
'Hey, Twilight, what's up?' Spike asked, after his chase for the cupcakes had led him to the young unicorn's hiding place.
'Nothing,' she replied dryly.
'You don't seem to be enjoying the party too much,' the dragonling remarked, finally capturing the elusive cupcake and stuffing it into his mouth.
'Oh, I am,' said Twilight Sparkle, 'Everything is just so jolly'. She forced a broad, toothy grin.
Spike shook his head, 'You don't convince me one bit, young filly. Let me guess... It's about Remus, isn't it? Don't tell me you're jealous because he's as good at magic as you!'.
'Oh, come on, Spike, we've only seen him do a couple of party tricks!' Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, looking rather hurt by the little dragon's suggestion.
'Okay... So...' Spike scratched his nose thoughtfully, 'So... maybe you're jealous because he's stolen your friends' attention?'
'Please, Spike,' Twilight Sparkle said, exasperated, 'It's not that. I just... don't trust him all too much...'
'How come?' Spike asked surprisedly, 'He seems like an awfully nice fellow.'
'I don't know...' Twilight Sparkle spoke very slowly, as if trying to make her own thoughts clear, 'There's something about him... something wrong... I can't put my hoof on it... But it's as if he is not... not quite human...'
'Oh? And exactly how many humans you met before him?' Spike said mockingly.
Twilight Sparkle let out a resigned sigh, 'Okay, so I haven't seen any other humans - but I've read about them in books. And Remus - well, he...' She never finished - for she suddenly saw something that made her forget what she was saying and glare at Lupin steadier and more suspiciously than ever, her eyes narrowing to slits.
The game of Blind Foal's Buff had just started. Doctor Whooves was blundering about clumsily, Rarity's scarf tied around his eyes; anypony whom he happened to stumble into was taking great care to leap out of his grasp - and Pinkie Pie was chanting at the top of her voice,
Blind foal, blind foal, now you can't see,
Try as you might but you won't catch me,
Turn east, turn west, hear as I call,
Do you think you've caught me, blind, blind foal?
Among this loud, merry tumult, Lupin, slowly and cautiously, edged towards the door and slipped out, unnoticed by anypony, except the ever-vigilant Twilight Sparkle.
'Spike,' the young unicorn declared resolutely, 'We must follow him!'
And without waiting for any objections, she threw her reluctant assistant onto her back and cantered out into the gathering dusk.
It soon became apparent that Lupin was making his way towards the Everfree Forest. His progress was rather slow, as he was taking great care not to be seen. Every now and then he would stop and look around, so Twilight Sparkle had either to dash into the nearby shrubs or press herself against the shadowy wall of a building, forcing the incessantly grumbling Spike to conceal himself together with her.
They were on the point of reaching the edge of the forest when a milky glint of moonlight suddenly broke through the dark, swirling clouds; it seemed as though this thin streak of silver pierced Lupin like an arrow; upon seeing it, he quivered all over, broke into a run and disappeared among the gnarled, intertwining tree trunks. This came more than suddenly for his pursuers; by the time they had scrambled out of their hiding place and hurried through the tangled undergrowth after him, he was long gone, devoured by thee forest's pitch black, greedy mouth, which leered at Twilight Sparkle and Spike with its crooked, fang-like tree trunks.